


Late For Work

by M_Lynd



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Aurors, Drarry, Fluff, Gay, Kissing, M/M, Ministry of Magic, No Smut, POV Harry Potter, Post War, Slash, Work, kind of fluff, m/m - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-17
Updated: 2016-03-17
Packaged: 2018-05-27 07:09:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,135
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6274702
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/M_Lynd/pseuds/M_Lynd
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>I'm late for work and Draco tries to close the elevator on me before I made it in so I hit all the buttons on the lift and now we're stuck hitting every floor for 18 floors. He started it though.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Late For Work

**Author's Note:**

> Hope everyone enjoys! Feel free to leave comments! <3
> 
> PS: I do not own these characters or any rights to the wider wizarding world.

Late for work

 

"Shit." I can't believe I over slept.. again. Suppose it was a mistake to stay up all night with Ron. This headache isn't going to do either. Wasn't our brightest idea ever to drink an entire bottle of fire whiskey. Setting the alarm clock back down, I shove myself off of the bed and go for the bathroom to tidy myself up some. I know I look a wreck, and while I am late the minister surely won't appreciate it if I am late and look completely shit. 

When I apparate into the ministry I glance at my watch and I am only 15 minutes late, not so bad. It's tolerable, and easy enough to make up something to excuse a fifteen minute tardy. Suppose I could say that I meant to accio the toothpaste, but instead got the shampoo while I was half asleep and it busted and made a mess everywhere, and I just had to clean it up. It just wouldn't do to leave it all over the floor. 

Once I get close to the elevators the familiar ding of them makes me look up, and that's when I see Draco Malfoy stepping into the elevator, so I speed up to catch it. Once he's inside and gets a look at me hurrying forward to catch it, I see him make a devilish face and go to hit the Close Door button.  _ Oh no, not today Malfoy. _ He does this everytime I need to get on the lift while he's on it. Refuses to let me on. This time, I catch the doors before they close, and once they open fully I stand with a triumphant smile on my face. _ Eat shit, Malfoy _ . My smile is met in reply with a eye roll, and if I was not mistaken a small smile, they was only noticeable at the corners of his mouth. 

He's such a prat, I can barely stand it. I suppose not much has changed since school. When I really think about it though, I can see where now it is meant more of a way to poke fun in contrast to how he picked on me in school out of meanness, or something. I guess we could say the war softened us a little. Always reckoned it would make us a bit harder, especially Draco. I saw him then though. What was inside. He knows I did too, he let me, it wasn't like I forced it out of him. Maybe it wasn't welcomed by him, but the war itself. He saved me. I would never forget that, when I looked in his eyes in the manor after we got snatched and he lied about who I was it wasn't the first time I'd seen him scared, but it was the first time I saw him fight against what he was meant to be. The dick is still making me later for work than I care to be though, so I reach out and push every button on the lift. 

"Potter! You idiot! This blasted elevator is going to stop at every floor now!"

"If you have to point out the obvious Malfoy, maybe you're the one here that's an idiot." That did it, he's mad now and I don't have to look at him to feel him seething, arms crossed, next to me. After three floors, we're still alone and silent. "You started it." 

"Sod off, Potter. Now I'm going to be late for my shift."

It was kind of funny though, so I laughed and all it did was earn me a sideways glare. I'm the head of the auror department now, and Malfoy works under me (I wish!) as an auror. I'm meant to be into work to earlier than day shift to supervise anything and help them make their shift switch, so if I'm late surely I'm not going to say anything about him being late. "I'll let it slide this time, Malfoy, but don't expect me to always be so lenient with you. Tardy.. tsk tsk," I joke.

"Typical of you to think your opinion is the only one that matters." That slow and snarky drawl is so familiar. Yep, he's mad. What started as playful jeering is now turning quickly into what is bound to sound like "The almighty chosen one, defeater of the Dark Lord,of course I really only care about your opinion of me," but I really don't want to hear it, so I keep quiet. We're now on the 5th floor, and I'm starting to wish I hadn't hit all those buttons because we're going to the 18th floor, and it's bound to take us 30 minutes like this. 

"Bugger." 

"Today is going to be shit now, thanks to the Chosen One," he really took the time to make it sound nasty coming out of his mouth. "He can't even bother to show up to work on time and then manages to make himself and one of his aurors nearly 30 minutes late! How typically dim you are."

"Aye, watch it! Don't be such a prat. You should have let me onto the lift when you saw me coming for it. If I am not mistaken I think you were about to be late anyway. Or nearly just on time."

"At least I'm not a department head and showing up 20 minutes late for work."

"There was an incident with a shampoo bottle. Had to clean it up."

"As if, Potter, I can smell the fire whiskey on you from here. Couldn't even bother to shower." 

I could feel him eye me over, and his sly comment and nasty look was enough to bust my confidence, but only for a moment. It wasn't likely I'd be standing this close to someone else all day.  _ Why are we standing so close? We have the whole elevator to ourselves. _ Ask me if I moved though, just stood there quietly. 

"Say, I can't imagine why you'd be drinking so much on a work night. What, did you and that little Weaslette of yours get into fight?" This second poke in my ego actually stung a little. 

"Well, I'll have you know, Malfoy," It was my turn to make his name sound nasty, "we haven't had a fight in quite a while. It so happens that we have been separated for a year and last night I signed the divorce papers. So, there." 

His eyes just got all wide and he got all silent for a moment before he muttered "I'm so sorry.." 

"It's fine. I guess you didn't know. Surprising really, you've been working with us for 6 months and you didn't know. Usually I can't keep any of my business private. Not sure why this one didn't reach you." Why were we taking turns on everything this morning? It happened so that now it was my turn to be quiet. Draco had been in France since the war pretty much (9 years ago) and had just gotten back a year ago, and he spent 6 months trying to get a job before I put him on, took some convincing for the minister though. Not many people are rushing to hire an old death eater, and not many people in the department talked to him. They all questioned it when I hired him on, explains why he hadn't heard about me and Ginny, no one talks to him. "Sorry," I basically hummed to the blonde with his head down. 

"It's fine. What happened? With Ginny I mean?"

It's not a crazy question, a lot of people were surprised at the separation. Everyone but us, I mean she was like family to me growing up, and we were basically together during the war, it wasn't easy to split up, we were both scared what it meant for our entire family. 

"Now this one I'm surprised you haven't heard anywhere yet." I laugh to ease the tension. We're on the 12th floor now and I tell Draco Malfoy that, "I'm gay."

"What?!" His head shot straight up with a painful look. "Are you taking the piss?!" I don't know why but he is pissed.

"No, what are you so upset for?!"

"Where did you hear that from? Who told you I was gay?" 

"What are you on about, Malfoy!? No one's told me anything, no one has told me that you're gay, I've just told you that I'm gay."

"What?" His grey eyes are just blank now, but his face is perplexed.

"Yeah, but did you just tell me that you're gay as well," I'm laughing now, hard. "Oh, this is rich. Wow. I can't believe it!" I'm practically slapping my knee. I don't really find it that funny that he's actually gay. It sort of makes sense, he never dated anyone in school, it appeared that he was dating Pansy but they just spent time in the same group, I just think it hilarious that I've just told the ponce that I'm gay and he thinks I've done it as a joke on him. 

"You're kidding me. You didn't know?" His eyes squinting at me, searching my face for a lie. 

"No, Malfoy, I didn't know! I was just telling you that I got a divorce because I'm gay and you thought I was doing it as a joke on you!"

"I just... I'm sorry.. i just thought.."

"It's okay! I'm not mad, it's just hilarious." I try to find his eyes, to give him a reassuring look. It was odd when he did this. He was always so confident, but every once in awhile the tower of his ego crumbled sure and fast and you were left with a Draco that was hunched over, drooping, his eyes sad. It was strange because like this, even when his face screwed up and he cried, even when he cried hard, he was still beautiful. Usually so tall, and stoic, it was something beautiful to kind of see that gone, to see him as he probably feels on the inside. "Hey, really, it's okay," I say a little more timid now, tapping his arm with the back of my hand, and it makes him jump back. 

We're on the 14th floor now. Three more to go.  

"I haven't told anyone yet." He said quiet, kind of like a question, one that was meant to say: _ I haven't told anyone yet that I am gay, and would you please keep this between us? _

"Yeah, that's fine, I won't tell anyone." 

"But people know that you're gay?" His demeanor was building again.

"Yeah, for the most part. I haven't made it a habit of announcing it unless it's brought up, but yeah."

"Since when have you been gay?" He said this with just a little nastiness to his voice, enough for me to look over it, but maybe it sounded like he thought he had missed out on something, like he had missed out on another thing to make fun of me for at Hogwarts. 

"I've known for a while. Guess I've always known, right? I mean, don't you always know but it's kind of like wondering where your phone is while you're talking on it?"

"Yeah, that's relatable. But you, you and Ginny, and Cho? I mean.. I never suspected. 

"Me either," his shock makes me laugh because it's a lot like the shock I felt, the shock you feel after you realize you've been on the phone chatting the whole time you've been looking for it. “I was distracted, ya know, being the ‘Chosen One.’ I was so distracted by that I never really thought about it or about the options I had. What about you? Honestly, can’t say I’m surprised but,what’s your deal?”

“Oh, shove off.”

“Really! I want to know!”

“We never had a dull year, I was never into any girl, I just never thought about it. I mean, I had thoughts, you know, but I never realized what they meant or acted on them.” 

“Yeah, I can relate to that. Too bad you didn’t realize though.” I say, nonchalant. 

“What in Merlin’s name are you talking about?!” 

“Well you could have had a chance with the Chosen One!” I smirk, motioning down my body like I’m a cars salesman trying to sell a car. Malfoy’s eyes just go wide again though, and his head juts back. “Aye,” I prod, this is too much fun. “You know you wanted a piece of this! You’ve missed it your whole life!” I’m laughing now, as if Malfoy had ever had a crush on me. He was a prick. But I just watched blankly as his cheeks go red, and then shortly his whole face is kind of red and splotchy. “Hey, calm down. I was only joking, I didn’t mean to make you mad.” When I reach out to touch his arm he tenses up and I can feel his tight muscle underneath of his robes. Now my cheeks are surely red. 

Before I get a chance to rectify the situation the elevator dings again and almost goes unnoticed because it's practically been background noise it's been going off so often, but when the elevator bounces from the stop I go to look at what floor we’re on and, “we’re here,” I say. I look back to Malfoy and he’s still staring at me, red faced. So, reddening my face to match his I grab him by the wrist and pull him out into our department. He’s 30 minutes late and I’m 45, and everyone looks to us, practically holding hands. 

The next 2 hours go by in what feels like 30 seconds, in fact I can’t really even account for the last 2 hours. It’s all a blur, and all I can say for it is that I know its been 2 hours only because that’s what my clock tells me. 

There’s a knock on the door, and I’m telling them to come in, and organizing my desk, trying to look a little less stunned about the fact that two hours just passed before my eyes. It’s Draco that pokes his head through questioning if it’s a good time. “Sure.”

He storms in practically and stops just in front of my desk, arms crossed. “People actually think we did it in that elevator! They’ve been talking all day!”

“And, so what?!” It’s funny to see Draco so panicked, talking sharp and pointedly unlike his usual slow drawl.

“So! I can’t let people think I’m fucking you!”

“And what’d be so bad about that?” 

“You're my boss!”

“So you don’t have any objection otherwise?” Now I am standing up. 

“Merlin! Harry!” My name..my first name, as soon as it comes out of his mouth he blushes. 

“Wow.” I'm stepping around my desk now, trying to get closer to him. I can’t deny that I find him beautiful, I don’t think anyone can, and I’ve always felt drawn to him, even before the war. I want to know what he’ll do if I get too close, if I try. 

“Wh-what are you doing?” He’s actually stammering a little bit, his beautiful mouth. His words are coming out nervous. I just keep walking closer to him, he only takes one step back. Then the distance between us closes. It's so quiet in here, his eyes, a clear and fogless grey, are piercing into mine. He doesn’t look away,, and I see him again. It was just like the night at the manor, his eyes dart back and forth looking for something in me. I know what this means, I see him trying to make a decision right now. One that could change everything, so I make it for him and I take one more step forward and lean into him, tilting my chin up, and when I open my eyes it's with a question, I’m asking if this is okay, asking him to lean down to me and finish what I started.

His eyes are wide, but only for a second, then they’re closed, and he is moving into me now, his chest is pressing against mine and I close my eyes too now. I feel his lips press into mine, they’re softer than I expect, contrasting the sharp and pointed angles of his face and body. I open my mouth to his and he moves his lips against mine, they are warm and tentative. Before I could realize it my hands are moving up his sides and around his back, and then his are in my hair. When I pull away for air he has a tiny hint of a smile in his pout, and it makes me giggle. 

 

I’m jumping out of my skin and my chest hurts with fear, my nerves are alert. There’s an alarm going off. Where is it coming from? My arms are empty, Draco is gone. I open my eyes,  _ When did I close them? _ I am in my bed, alone, the alarm is still going off. I blink myself awake, was I asleep? It’s my alarm clock. 

“Shit.” I’m late for work. My mouth tastes like fire whiskey. My head is aching, I shouldn’t have stayed up all night with Ron drinking. That was last night? That was a dream? Draco was a dream!? I have to get to work, maybe he will be there. 

I’m fifteen minutes late when I get there.  I head for the elevator, Draco is getting in the lift, when he sees me I know he’s going to hit the close door button, so I run before he realized that it’s  me. When I rush in beside him I don’t hit all the lights I just smile at him while he scowls. 

“I signed my divorce papers last night, I’ve been separated from Ginny for a year, I’m gay. Yes, I’m actually gay. I don’t know if you’re gay, but I guess I mean to ask you on a date. This is not a joke, I think you’re beautiful. I always have, that’s why I’m standing so close. That’s why I want to kiss you right now. Yes, I’m late for work, yes I was drinking last night. I am not drunk now, so if you’ll let me I would like to kiss you.” I say it all quick, turning our bodies to face each other, I am out of breath, and smiling at how ridiculous this is, and what do you know? He is too. So I kiss him, and it is better than it was in the dream. Soft, and I can taste him. He tastes like tea with honey and lemon and this feels more right than I could have ever imagined in a dream.


End file.
